What You Know
by hakuoukis
Summary: -Discontinued- His name was Luke. He had deeply parted hair the color of cinnamon and eyes like chocolate. Standing, he fell at about five feet and 9 inches. He hated thunderstorms and his job. His name was Luke, and by Tuesday morning, he'd be gone. (Spy! Fanfic)
1. Chapter 1

_I am leaving_

_This is starting to feel like_

_It's right before my eyes_

_And I can taste it_

_It's my sweet beginning_

His name was Luke. He had deeply parted hair the color of cinnamon and eyes like chocolate. Standing, he fell at about five feet and 9 inches. He hated thunderstorms and his job. His name was Luke, and by Tuesday morning, he'd be gone.

Luke was a common name around the Alford household. It was a name that brought forth a promise of gossip, a name whispered amongst the maids while working on the daily chores and a name spoken with disdain among the royals. Luke, you see, was notorious for many things. His mistakes occurred on a regular basis, ranging from sleeping in until noon to spilling tea on His Royal Highness. On the top of the list, however, Luke was notorious for being a reject.

When people hear the word reject, many things come to mind, but what it comes down to for them is this; Something's wrong with a reject. If nothing was wrong, they'd still be where they belong. If a reject from an orphanage seemed like a perfectly good person – then they were hiding something. No orphanage ever turned away children. People aren't rejected from orphanages for no reason, and Luke was no exception.

Luke aware of this, to the point where his own thoughts tortured him. A reject from an orphanage. A runaway. A misfit. Luke wasn't part of the neatly fitted puzzle pieces of the Alford household, and he wasn't in the puzzle of the orphanage from which he was raised. Luke was a piece from a different puzzle altogether.

Maybe, this was the exact reason he left - knowing that he would never belong in the Alford household caused him to embark on this journey of his. He didn't know much, but what he knew was that this would open doors for him. Luke wasn't even sure where these doors would lead, and he was sensible enough to know that he was putting himself in a lot of danger, but this butler was hopeful enough to try.

"I'm leaving the palace,"

Those were the first words uttered by Luke over the phone. At the moment, Luke was speaking to a very close friend. This friend, in fact, was Jan, a butler serving the royals of Dres Van. The two even grew up in the same orphanage, but never communicated until after they both left. Additionally, Jan was the very person who somehow got Luke the job at Liberty's palace after a fateful encounter on one groggy June morning. If one were to ask Luke to recall the day, he would reply with a glare and a curt reply of, "The past is the past,"

But Luke knew, and so did Jan, that the past haunted him far worse than any ghost or nightmare. When offered the job from Jan, Luke knew it was the beginning of his new life;

As was this.

There was a silence on the other end of the phone, then a laugh. The laugh carried no joy or humor though, and it petrified Luke.

"You can't be serious."

"And why not?"

"Luke. Please tell me that you're kidding and this is all a big setup. You live off of this job. You leave and you'll have nothing, no food, nowhere to live, no source of money. Leave and you're screwed,"

Luke doesn't speak, and Jan continues to compensate for the silence from him.

"And are we not going to discuss that I'm the one who picked your sorry ass up off of the street and got you this job? And you're just going to throw that away like it's nothing?"

Luke can feel himself growing irritated. "There's more for me out there, Jan!" Luke raises his voice, but regrets it immediately when he realizes he's still in the palace. "I don't belong here, just like I didn't belong in the orphanage. I don't know who I am yet _and I want to find out_."

"Are you really that shallow? Do you really think that there's anything else for you out there? Is living in a comfortable household not good enough for you? _It's a far cry from where you were, Luke."_

His voice is harsh, but harsher still are the words he says. They pierce through Luke's heart.

"Whatever. This isn't a conversation that should be discussed over the phone. Are you free tonight?"

"As free as I could be,"

"Just meet me at the coffee place."

And so he did.


	2. Chapter 2

Cuppa Joe's Coffee and Pastries.

That was the name of the coffee shop at which Jan had decided that he and Luke should meet.

It was a cheery neighborhood coffee joint, where everybody was a regular. Jan knew the majority of the staff by name. He knew the homeless man who came in for free stale bread and the musicians who treasured their guitars more than people, it seemed. He knew the regular visitors; he knew the businessmen who strutted in with their smug looks and pristine suits.

The café was, while very spacious, a cozy place, similar to a second home. The décor was visibly worn, but not so much that it seemed old, or unsanitary. It was a familiar type of worn, the type that would make one curious of what stories the tables could tell. Jan would always wonder what conversations they've heard, or what newspaper articles were placed on top of them. Even the bookshelves placed all over the dining area omitted a homely feeling, like the smile of the manager when he came to greet his friends. It was a safe haven from the stressful lifestyle of the Dres Van Mansion.

It was a familiar place.

Jan stands outside of the French doors, his blue eyes scanning the parking lot for any sign of Luke. Naïve, childish, selfish, Luke. Now, it wasn't that Jan really believed that Luke was all, or any of those things. What he did know, however, was that Luke was certainly not going to throw everything away that Jan had worked to get for him. It always intrigued Jan that Luke never questioned how Jan managed to get the position for him. He simply accepted that he had a job by some unknown means and took it.

How did Jan get him the job? Jan had relations. Very important, secret, powerful relations. Relations who knew Liberty Manse and their rules and loopholes down to a T. Relations who could manage to ruin the royals of any nation in one night, with some effort and a lot of… agents. Secret agents. Spies.

Jan snaps out of his thoughts when the sound of somebody clearing their throat reaches his ears. Luke. Jan drags his eyes to his left to meet Luke's, and it immediately occurs to him how long it has been since the two have last met. Last time they met in person, it had been at Prince Glenn J. Casiraghi's coming of age celebration, and their very lively conversation — covering a wide range of topics from the color… to the stain on the tablecloth — lasted about two sentences. Those included, "That tablecloth is dingy," and "It's got a giant stain on the side." Needless to say, the two hadn't spoken much in person recently. Now, that wasn't to say that their comradeship was any less valid. The two had often communicated over letters and five minute phone conversations when they had no housework to be done, which was a rare occasion.

"You look different. Perhaps you're regretting your decision?"

"Not at all."

Jan sighs, and opens the door to the café for Luke. They proceed in, and the aroma of coffee immediately greets the two. Luke takes note of the new art that's been plastered on the wall, while Jan instantly finds himself distracted by a musician. A blonde. Dressed in a pinstripe suit, she wears a brown fedora to conceal her face, and avoids Jan's piercing gaze.

He knows who this mysterious woman is.

"Apolline."

She sighs and her eyes roll as she tilts her fedora up.

"Dammit, Jan, you really can't ever keep your mouth shut, can you?"

Jan laughs and scratches his head sheepishly.

"Apparently not…" He laughs to ease the tension coming from Apolline.

Luke glances from Apolline to Jan and back to Apolline.

"I don't believe I know you," Despite wearing commoner clothing, Luke can't help but to feel awkward speaking so casually as to say something like, 'Who are you?'

"Your idiot buddy here just said it - I'm Apolline."

"Ease up a little! Gosh, you women are so harsh…" Jan sighs.

"Why don't you straighten up a little, Jan? Aren't you supposed to be acting like a butler anyways?" After an uncharacteristic pause from Jan, she continues.

"And who exactly are you?" She asks, averting her eyes from Jan's and dragging them to Luke's. He finds himself at a loss for words under her intense stare and it takes him a moment to regain his composure.

"Luke. I'm Luke." He holds his hand out to shake hers, only to receive an eyeroll from Apolline.

Not much is said after that, and they each eavesdrop into other conversations drowning into the lively hum of conversation in the café.

Jan speaks next. "We're going to order some coffee. Would you like anything?"

"I'd like to know what the hell you're doing off of your work right now."

Jan stiffens and gives this mysterious woman a death glare.

"It's a Sunday night at 7. I'm off of my butler duties and the trainees are working for me." His answer is curt, and Luke raises his eyebrows.

"And your other duti-"

"Shut up."

Apolline's eyes widen in realization.

"Ah, shit! You're telling me he doesn't work with us?"

The trio's conversation takes a hopeless turn.

"You're really bad at this." Jan.

"I never knew you were a maid?" Luke.

"I'm not, genius." Apolline.

"…"

An awkward silence surrounds them like a blanket.

"So we'll be getting one caramel macchiato, and one doble shot Americano. What would you like?" Jan's voice is an even tone, and Luke can't help but compare it to the calm before a storm, which seemed like a perfectly good comparison in his confused state. But the storm was already in motion inside of Jan.

"What should we do?"

"We'll discuss it over coffee. What do you want?"

"The coffee with the cute drawing on top." She mumbles this embarrassedly, averting her eyes and making a pouty face.

Jan turns to Luke.

"Buy us coffee."

Luke is dumbfounded. "What? You told me that you'd be treating me to coffee."

Jan chuckles and shakes his head. "I never promised you anything. You assumed that. You're not a poor man quite yet, so spend the last of your money on something useful. Like buying me a coffee."

Luke sighs in defeat and makes his way to the ever-growing line. Once there, he shoots a sulky glance back to Jan.

"The hell was that?" Jan.

"Well pardon me for thinking his face was familiar!" Apolline.

"You don't just tell people that I'm…" Jan trails off, raising his eyebrows for emphasis, as if it will fill the void the last word left.

Apolline laughs. "Gay?"

"Am not! This isn't a joking matter."

"Sorry, sorry."

"So what are we going to do?" Jan furrows his eyebrows.

"We're screwed, buddy. Sorry. "

"Don't give me vague answers."

"Boss will hang us and then burn our bodies. We're screwed." She laughs.

"Seriously though," she continues, "We should recruit him." Her suggestion earns her a thoughtful silence from Jan.

"He's pretty cute, and he's a butler right?" Apolline loses herself in thought. "Plus you know I love me some bu-"

"Shut up, Polly." That loosens Jan up a tad, and he can't help but to laugh.

"The jealous type, I see. And don't call me that." She adds the last sentence with a mock glare.

Luke returns with 3 coffees and hands them out. "I'm just so damn confused."

Jan's playfulness disappears. Despite how much he might care for Luke, he didn't appreciate the idea of him throwing away his butler job like he mentioned over the phone.

"I believe," Jan pauses, assessing the risks of confiding in Luke about this job of his. "We may have reached a solution to your dilemma, Luke."

The butler in question raises his eyebrow skeptically.

"And what would that be?" He pauses for a minute, furrowing his eyebrows in thought – You see, Luke could hold a conversation entirely in eyebrow movements if he felt the need to – but settled with using them often as tools for expression. "And why on earth are you changing your mind so quickly from being as sour as you were? I thought that you were all pissed that I was _spreading my little birdy wings_ and leaving the Manse." An awkward pause, and Luke blushes and an irritated expression comes over his face. "Not implying that I'm a little kid. Or a bird. I'm just saying."

Apolline chuckles, and Jan shrugs and sighs.

"Do you really think I want you homeless again, Luke? Don't kid yourself. I want you to be safe, and I want you to feel welcome somewhere, but you alienate yourself from everybody. Social skills are your friend."

Luke groans and pouts. "I know. Just tell me the big solution before I get impatient. Father." He adds the last word with a sarcastic, kidding tone and laughs.

A silence surrounds Luke and Jan, while Apolline watches on from a safe distance, sipping her coffee and lingering near the bookshelf. As she distracts herself with the novels, Jan pauses thoughtfully and thinks of how to introduce this concept to Luke.

"Jesus, Jan, I was kidding. Don't take everything so seriously."

"I know, I know. I'm just thinking of how to tell you this."

"Tell me what?" Luke narrows his eyes, and Jan leans back in his chair, and rests his head in his hands.

"Luke," A pause. "Despite the fact that Apolline already told you this, I have a second job on top of being a butler."

"Why? Don't you get pai-" Jan waggles his finger in Luke's face to shut him up.

"Let me finish. I have another jo-"

"You already said that."

"God dammit, Luke, shut up and listen." He continues. "And this job I have, we need new positions, and I think that you would fit in well there. You'd like everyone. We're all misfits over there."

Luke silently listens, nodding occasionally. Once Jan finishes his last sentence, he looks like he wants to talk back and opens his mouth, but notes Jan's out of character behavior and shuts it right after.

"Where I work, Luke.. If I tell you where, you have to keep it secret. Everything depends on it." Jan emphasizes the word 'everything', pronouncing it slowly, careful not to let the word escape Luke's mind. "Swear."

"I'll keep your job a secret."

Jan looks around the room and fidgets with his hands nervously.

"I can't tell you here."

"What, is it really that bad?" Luke's concern only grows when he receives a short reply in return.

"We'll talk in the car." He beckons Apolline as he says this, and leaves the café, leaving Luke to follow after him at a rapid pace.

Once they arrive in the car, Luke's concern subsides for a short while as he realizes with wonder that he gets to sit where the princes do, rather than in the driver's seat. He quickly regains his composure, however, once Apolline clears her throat. Back to his senses, Luke sits down awkwardly and studies Jan as he fidgets nervously.

"You swore to keep my job a secret."

"That's right."

"Luke," Jan's voice is solemn. "I'm an investigator of sorts. A secret agent, you could say." He chooses his words carefully.

Luke's eyes widen. "For the government?"

"Well.. Not really, no."

"You're a spy. An informant." Luke tries to wrap his mind around this concept, but can't seem to. It's a shock to him, especially since Jan's considered a perfect butler, according to the gossiping houemaids in Liberty Manse, anyways.

Jan shrugs. "Yeah."

"And _you_ want _me_ to join your..." Hesitation. "_Spy_ _group_?"

Silence.

"You can't be serious."

"And why not?"

"Uh…"

"Just consider it. I know it's a lot to think about, but you're sure as hell not going to end up homeless. Not again."

Apolline jumps into the conversation.

"And if you tell a soul, you're done for. Do you understand?"

"I do."


End file.
